Cheapo Travel: Here are 10 national park freebies

Aug. 17, 2016

Updated Aug. 19, 2016 6:52 p.m.

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A view of Drakes Estero at Point Reyes National Sea-shore in the Bay Area, which is free to visit. This is one of the country's parks that are always free. JESSICA WEINBERG MCCLOSKY, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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Statue at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, which is always free. It includes his childhood home, gravesite and a civil rights museum. COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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Visit the Point Reyes National Seashore for free all the time. DANIEL B.WELLS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

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Coastal redwoods are shrouded in fog at the free Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. COURTESY OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

A view of Drakes Estero at Point Reyes National Sea-shore in the Bay Area, which is free to visit. This is one of the country's parks that are always free. JESSICA WEINBERG MCCLOSKY, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

It’s been 100 years since the National Park Service was founded, and most other countries agree that it was one of America’s best ideas: The concept’s been copied around the world from Costa Rica to Kenya.

Today, it costs as much as $30 to get into one of the most popular national parks. But there are freebies to help you save on your trip. Here are my suggestions.

1. Celebrate the National Park Service centennial: From Thursday to Aug. 28, you can get into any national park for free for four days. If you forgot to take a summer vacation this year, hop in your car now! That’s enough time to visit Sequoia and Yosemite, with a stop at Pinnacles along the way. Or head north on I-15, and go to Zion and Bryce in Utah. If you go, plan your sightseeing for early morning, before it’s hot and the crowds arrive. You’ll enjoy it much more.

2. Take advantage of Junior Ranger programs: My kids just loved these free mini-adventures, and they even have them at places you wouldn’t expect, like Alcatraz and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Ask at the ranger station and get a free book that the kids fill out about flora, fauna or natural features, using their observations from visiting the park. Then, afterward, they turn in the books, get “sworn in” as junior rangers, and even a badge to wear. It’s really cute.

3. Download some free apps:This is cool. You can now download free detailed smartphone apps from Chimani for 59 iconic U.S. national parks, from Acadia to Zion. I particularly like that you don’t need Wi-Fi or cellular service to use them inside the park, where there’s often no service available. These apps are chock full of maps, trail info and other stuff you want to know when you visit. I suggest downloading them using Wi-Fi so it doesn’t suck up all your data. Go to your app store or chimani.com.

4. Browse through free maps: While we’re on the subject of maps, Park Service ranger Matt Holly has uploaded more than 1,000 maps of 107 national parks and monuments that you can download or print for free, including overviews, campgrounds, shuttle bus and trail maps, all in his spare time. Learn more here: npmaps.com. And, if you’re a member of the Auto Club of Southern California, you can get free printed maps of the most popular parks at your local office, which can be quite useful for trip planning, especially in huge parks like Yellowstone.

5. Collect free passport stamps:This might be a tad geeky, but I don’t care. Nearly every national park, historical site and monument now has a “passport cancellation station” in the ranger station or gift shop, where you can rubber-stamp a paper showing the location and date of your visit. If you want, you can buy an official $10 “Passport to Your National Parks” with space for all your stamps, or you can stamp anything you please, even your own notebook or diary. It’s a fun and free souvenir of your trip. I bought passport books for our family, but sometimes I’m too lazy to bring them, so I just stamp a piece of paper and then later paste it into the book. I enjoy looking back later and reminiscing. Learn more: eparks.com/store/

6. Go to a free park:While the 130 most iconic parks charge entrance fees, most don’t cost anything at all. In California, for example, visit the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the gorgeous Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National Park without paying any fees. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta is fascinating and free. And nearly every federally owned place you want to visit in D.C. is free, from the Smithsonian museums to the Lincoln Memorial.

7. Get free entry for life: How would you like to get into national parks for free? Any U.S. legal resident 62 or older can pay $10 and get a lifetime pass for free entrance to all national parks, forests and national monuments. Get this pass for $10 at any federal recreation site, generally at the ranger station. You can also order by mail for $20. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship. You might also get 50 percent off some amenities like camping and boating, depending on location. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov/pass /senior.html.

8. Get a free entry pass for the disabled: If you can show that you’re permanently disabled, you can get a free lifetime entry pass if you obtain it in person at a ranger station – or order it by mail for $10. You’ll need a doctor’s statement or other document showing your disability. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov/pass/access.html.

9. Make sure that if you’re military you get in free: If you have a military ID or Common Access Card, whether active-duty, reservist or National Guard, you and your passengers can get in free to most federal recreation sites in a single private car, or free for one pass-holder, three adults and all children at sites that charge a per-person fee. You need to bring your ID card to a ranger station to obtain the annual pass. Spouses are eligible to obtain a pass if they can prove their service member is deployed. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov /pass /military.html.

10. Get in free if you volunteer: If you volunteer at least 250 hours on federal lands, you’re entitled to an annual pass. Maybe you can be a docent, volunteer ranger or help build trails. You don’t have to accrue all 250 hours in one year, either! Learn more here: volunteer.gov.

The five agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program are National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.

To learn more about all the passes available, visit this link: nps.gov/

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